Saw-mill



(No Model.)

H. D. WIOKES.

SAW MILL.

No. 410,474. Patented Sept. 3, 18 89.

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ATTORNEYS.

I Hu iil 4' fi/ Y Emil r I ll W in WITNESSES:

UNITED, STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IIENRY D. IVICKES, OF EAST SAGINAVV, MICHIGAN.

'SAW-MILL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 410,474, dated September 3, 1889.

Application filed January 30, 1888- Serial No. 262,338. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY D. \VICKES, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of East Saginaw, in the county of Saginaw and State of Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful Saw-Mill,of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of sawmills in which gang or muley saws are employed, and in which a vibratory or oscillatory movement is given to the saw or the gangslides in addition to the usual reciprocating up-and-down movement of the saw for the purpose of obtaining a clearance on the upstroke, or, as in some previous inventions, for also increasing the bite gradually 011 the downstroke.

My invention consists, first, in so proportioning, adjusting, or connecting the oscillating mechanism (of whatever kind the same may be) as to move the lower portion of the saw into a position in advance of the upper part thereof on the downstroke or to increase the relative displacement during the whole time that the saw is in engagement, thereby producing a cut 011 the downstroke which shall be at all times a out against the grain.

My invention consists, further, in proportioning, adjusting, or connecting the oscillating mechanism, as will be hereinafter described, in such way as to move the lower portion of the saw forward against the material during substantially the entire downstroke of the sash or gate, the backward movement of the lower portion of the saw or gate, for the purpose of clearance, beginning at or about the completion of the downward stroke.

In applying my invention to that form of apparatus in which the gang-slide is oscillated by a pitman or link connected with the main pitman, which oscillates the saw, I simply proportion and attach the connecting-link to the main pitman at such point that the continuance of the movement of the crank and pitman beyond the quarter on the downstroke will continue the forward movement of the lower portion of the saw, as will be hereinafter more fully made to appear. This result is obtained by arranging the connecting-pitman attached to the oscillating mechanism so that when the crank is on the quarter the end of said pitman connected with the main pitman shall be above the horizontal line passing through the opposite end of the same, as will be hereinafter described.

I have herein described my invention as carried out in connection with a particular form of oscillating mechanism; but it will be readily understood by those skilled in the art that the particular kind of movement and the consequent results may be obtained by employing other constructions of oscillating mechanism and properly proportioning or adjusting the parts of said mechanism to modify the movement in the manner I have described. I do not, therefore, wish to be understood as limiting myself to the particular form of oscillating mechanism herein shown.

111 the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents in side elevation mechanism enibodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a rear clcvation of apparatus embodying my invention. Fig. 3 shows the apparatus of Fig. 1 in the position occupied on the quarter of the downstrokc.

In the drawings, A indicates the main or gang frame, only one side of said frame being shown for the sake of simplicity.

B indicates the sash or gate, which is of any ordinary construction. The upper end of the sash or gate moves or is guided in slides F, preferably fixed, while the lower end moves in gangslides F, pivoted, preferably, at f. The boxes attached to the gate and moving, respectively, in the gang-slides are indicated at b I).

The oscillating mechanism for moving the lower gang-slides so as to produce a proper movement of the lower part of the saw @011- sists of a rock-shaft G, properly mounted in the frame and having crank-arms g g attached to it, two of which g connect by links or pitmen I with the pivoted gang-slides F, as shown, while the other g connects by a link or pitman II with the main pitman E or a pitman moving in the same manner as said pitman. The pitman E produces the reciprocatin g up-and-down movement of the sash or gate and the saws in the ordinary manner, and receives its motion from a main shaft D, carrying the crank arm or wheel 6, to which the lower end of the pitman E is connected. The length of the pitman H and its point of attachment to the main pitman E are such that when the pitman E is about to begin the last quarter of its downstroke the end of the pitman H, connected to the pitman E, will be above the horizontal line drawn through the point of attachment to the crank-arm 'g of the oscillating mechanism. WVhen, therefore, the crank passes the quarter on the down movement, the effect will be to continue the movement of the crank-arm g,thus continuing the oscillatory movement of the lower gang-slide in the same direction given to it by the passage of the crank from its uppermost position to the quarter. The point of attachment of the pitman II is preferably so high on the main pitman that not until the main crank e has reached its lowermost position or has moved the sash to the farthest limit of its downward stroke will the pitman H be brought to a horizontal line. The upper gang-slide is fixed in such position that at the beginning of the downstroke the saw shall be in a vertical line-that is to say, there shall be substantially no overhang.

Assuming that the parts are in the position indicated in the drawings, Fig. 1,the saw will be vertical, and the downward movement thereof will be accompanied by a forward movement of its lower portion, produced by the operation. of the pitman II upon the oscillating mechanism for the lower gang-slide, which forward movement will continue to the quarter, or the position indicated in Fig. 3, and will be followed up by a still farther forward movement after the quarter is passed, owing to the length of the pitman H and its point of attachment to the main pitman, as above described. It will be observed that after passing the quarter on the downward stroke the movement of the main pitman at its lower end will be sidewise or in a direction to tend to reverse the movement of the oscillating mechanism, and this would be the result were it not that the downward movement of the end of the pitman H, attached to the main pitman, produces a continuance of the backward thrust upon the crank g. Notuntil the downstroke has been nearly completed will the pitman II have been lowered to such position that the sidewise movement of the crank e and attached pit-man E will begin to reverse the movement of the oscillating mechanism. As the pitman moves up on the upward stroke the crank-arm g and oscillating mechanism are moved in the direction to carry the saw backward, thus producing a clearance, until finally, at the latter part of the upward stroke, the operation of the pitman I-I moves the saw quickly forward to position of engagement with the log or cant, which in the meantime has been fed along by the ordinary mechanisms.

' It will be seen that by the operation of the mechanism described a slanting undercut is produced, and that the action of the saw upon the material is at all times against the grain.

Although at or near the termination of the downstroke the lower portion of the saw may cease to advance,-it will not, nevertheless, recede until the stroke is practically completed.

It will be observed, also, that owing to the fact that each finished cut is on a slant, and that the saw is presented to the log at the beginning of the new cut in a vertical line, a portion of the teeth only will engage at the beginning of the stroke, the extent of engagement being increased gradually, however, as thelower end of the saw is moved by the oscillating mechanism.

It will be observed, further, that the advanced position of the lower portion of the saw is maintained during the whole time of engagement, and that therefore the operation of the saw, being at all times against the grain, takes place at the greatest advantage.

I am aware that it has been heretofore proposed to oscillate the lower gang-slide for a saw-mill, as in the patented apparatus described in patent of Ehlers, No. 78,443; but my invention diifers from the devices therein described in that in the patented device the reverse movement of the oscillating mechanism will begin at a completion of the first quarter of the downstroke, while in my invent-ion it is continued below such point. Besides, by my arrangement of the apparatus I produce an under-cut and a cut against the grain during the whole time that the saw is in engagement with the wood, a result which would not be accomplished in a device where an overhang is employed.

I am also aware that it has been proposed to oscillate both ends of the gate or sash in such manner as to produce a partial undercut for a portion of the stroke, and then to reverse the movement of the lower part of the sash or gate and move the upper part forward, so as to produce a finished cut whose direction is the reverse of that produced by my invention, and a greater part of which reverse cut is made with the grain.

It will be seen, moreover, that in my improved saw the maximum of simplicity is obtained by oscillating the lower gangslide only. In addition it will be seen that an easy action is obtained, because no overhang is employed, as in some previous inventions in which the sash or gate is oscillated.

Although by my arrangement of devices a IIO forward movement of the lower portion of d the saw may cease for a short time before the completion of the stroke and the beginning of the movement of withdrawal, yet it will be seen that at all times'the lower portion of WVhat I claim as my invention is 1. The combination, with a reciprocating saw, of an oscillating mechanism whose parts are connected or adjusted, in the manner described, to move the lower portion of the saw to a position in advance of the upper portion,

and to maintain it in such position or increase the advance, as described, during the whole time that the saw is in engagement on the downstroke, as and for the purpose described.

2. The combination, in a saw-mill, of a reciprocating gate or sash moving at its upper end in a fixed slide and at its lower in a movable slide, in combination with an oscillating mechanism, substantially such as described, connected to the lower slide and adjusted or proportioned in proper manner to cause the lower portion of the saw to be in advance of the upper portion during its whole time of engagement on the downstroke of the sash or gate, as and for the purpose described.

3. The combination, with a reciprocating gate or sash in a saw-mill, of a vibrating or oscillating lower gang-slide, and an oscillating mechanism connected therewith and proportioned or adjusted so as to move the lower gang-slide in a forward direction after the reciprocating mechanism passes the quarter on the downstroke, and to continue the forward movement of the lower portion of the saw against the feed of the material during substantially the entire downstroke of the sash O1 gate.

4. The combination, with the oscillating gang-slide in a saw mill, of a link H, connected at one end with a crank-arm upon the rock-shaft, which oscillates the slide, and at the other end joined with the pitman E at a point above the horizontal line passing through the point of connection with the crank-arm when the pitman is at the quarter or its downstroke.

5. The combination, with the reciprocating gate or sash, of an upper slide located, as set forth, to cause the saws to stand in vertical line at the moment of engagement of the downstroke, a lower oscillating slide, a rook-shaft, a main pitman, and a pitman I-I, connected to the rock-shaft and to the main pitman in the manner described, so as to maintain the lower part of the saw in an advanced position after the pitman passes the quarter on the downstroke.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 30th day of December, A. D. 1888 HENRY D. WICKES.

\Vitnesses:

WM. II. OAPEL, HUGO KOELKER. 

